The present invention relates to a safety system for detecting a driver's competency or mental incompetency to drive a vehicle and for preventing driving of the vehicle.
People who are incompetent to drive, such as for example, drunken or drugged drivers, Alzheimer's disease people and other individuals mentally incompetent to drive are causing accidents every day. The elimination of mentally incompetent drivers will save millions of lives.
In New York City alone cocaine was found in one out of five drivers killed in vehicle accidents from 1984 through 1987 according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. These and other lives could have been saved if these drivers were prevented from driving.
In the state of California physicians and other professionals are required to report Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders and any chronic confused state unresponsive to treatment to their county or city health departments under Section 410, Health and Safety Code Sec. 2500 and 2572, Title 17, California Code of Regulations. These health departments forward the reports to their department of motor vehicles. This requirement interferes with the basic physician-patient privilege of confidentiality and may cause such patients in need of medical attention to forego medical assistance, so it leaves something to be desired. This law is one attempt to protect those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease and with similar disorders from themselves and to protect others from injury from these people when driving.
The Supreme Court has upheld state police power laws providing random stop and frisk checks for alcohol and drugs. This law also erodes citizens' basic constitutional rights against search and seizure in the absence of probable cause.